Resilient support for pipes and the like



July 21, 1942. E. F. RIE-'SING 2,290,521

RESILIENT SUPPORT FOR PIPES AND THE LIKE Filed March 16, 1940 ATTO RNEYS Patented July 21, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicEf RESILIENTSUPPORT FOR PIPES ANDATHE Ellwood F. Riesing, Akron, Ohio, assignor toThe Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication March is, 1940, serial No. 324,340 3 claims. (c1. 24a-54)This invention relates to resilient supports for pipes and the like, andmore especially it relates to devices for resiliently suspending pipesfrom supporting structures in situations where there usually isconsiderable relative movement between the pipe and the structure withwhich it is associated.

The invention is of primary utility in the supporting of the muiilerand/or the exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle, especially in vehicleswherein the motor is supported on rubber mountings and thus is free tovibrate relatively of the frame of the vehicle. The invention alsopermits the necessary relative movement in the exhaust pipe and mufflerrelatively of the vehicle frame when the latter is sprung out of normalalignment, as when one wheel of the vehicle passes over an obstruction.The invention also is designed with the view to conditions arising whenthe exhaust pipe is longitudinally elongated due to thermal expansion,which elongation frequently amounts to as much as one-quarter inch.

The chief objects of the invention are to pro,- vide an improved pipesupport of the character mentioned that readily will flex upon relativemovement of the supporting and the supported members; to provide a.safety construction whereby there will not be complete separation of thesupported and the supporting members upon complete failure of the rubberthat constitutes the resilient element of the device of the invention;to provide a device of the character mentioned wherein the rubber of thestructure is spaced at an adequate distance from the supported structureso as not seriously to be aifected by the heat thereof; to provide asupport of the character mentioned comprising rubber, andI so arrangedwith relation to the frame of the vehicle and the exhaust pipe thatelongation of the latter due to thermal expansion imparts ten'- sion tosaid rubber; to provide a mechanical interlock of rubber and metal suchas to prevent separation thereof even if failure of adhesion between therubber and metal should occur; and to provide a resilient support of thecharacter mentioned that provides increasing resistance to deformationin one direction at least. Other objects will be manifest as thedescription proceeds.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an embodiment of the invention in the formemployed at the rear end of the exhaust pipe for supporting the latter,said exhaust pipe and a portion of the vehicle frame being shown inoperativeA association therewith;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the invention as viewed from the line2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view' ofresilient support, a part being brokenaway-and in section.

In motor vehicles of usual construction, an exhaust pipe extendsrearwardly from the motor and discharges into the front end of amuilier, and the latter discharges into a tail pipe that extends fromthe rear thereof to the rear end of the vehicle. The exhaust pipe andtail pipe are supported from various parts of the frame of the vehicle,and sometimes extend through apertures in said frame, Exhaust gases fromthe motor are very hot, and as a consequence, the exhaust piping andmuilier becomes heated, with resulting thermal expansion of said piping.Since the exhaust piping is connected to the motor at the front end ofthe car, and said motor is substantially fixed in position with relationto the frame of the vehicle, it follows that elongation of the exhaustpiping due to thermal expansion must be in the direction of the rear ofthe vehicle. The several pipe supports constituting the subject matterof this invention are interposed between the vehicle frame andtheexhaust piping to support the latter from the frame, and

are so positioned with relation to the frame that elongation of thepiping, due to thermal expansion, will result in the imparting oftension to the rubber constituent of the pipe support, which conditionhas been found most satisfactory for the proper functioning of thesupports. Thus in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing,the resilient supports are attached to the rear faces of the framemembers.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a portion of a channel I5that constitutes one of the cross members of a motor-vehicle frame, anda section of an exhaust pipe I6. The latter extends transversely of thechannel I5 and is suspended therefrom by means of a resilient supportthat comprises a metal attaching plate I1, a supporting plate I8, and aresilient body of rubber I9 interposed between said plates mechanicallyand chemically bonded to each of them. The supporting plate I8 has agenerally rectangular profile, and is formed with a central aperture 20of substantial size through which the pipe I6 extends. At the lowermargin of said aperture, the plate I8 is formed with an integrallaterally extending lip 2|, the latter being transversely arcuate inshape and constituting a supporting structure in which the pipe I 6snugly rests. The lip 2i may be disposed at an angle to horizontalposition, as shown. so as to be parallel to the pipe I8. A metal strap22 that encircles the lip 2i and pipe I C is provided for securing themto each other. At its upper end the plate Il is formed with a pair ofapertures 2l disposed adjacent its lateral margins.

The attaching plate I1 is a metal strap that is secured to thechannel-VII by means of bolts 24 or the like, said bolts extendingthrough respective bolt holes 2i in the end portions of the plate. Themedial portion of the plate I1, between the bolt holes 2l, is outwardlybowed, as is best shown at 30, Fig. 3, so as to stand in spaced relationto the channel II when it is attached thereto, said bowed portionbeingformed with a pair of apertures 28, 28 adjacent the respective endsthereof. 'I'he supporting plate Il and the attaching plate I'| aredisposed preferably in spaced parallel planes, the attaching plate beingpositioned at thev upper end of the supporting plate. Said plates areconnected by an intervening body of rubber I5 that -is vulcanized toeach. said plates being brass-plated to improve the chemical bondeifected by the vulcanization of the rubber. 0n

the front of the supporting plate II are formed rubber buttons 28, 2lthat areconcentric with the apertures 23 and are integrally united withthe rubber body I9 by necks of rubber thatllextend through saidapertures. In like manner rubber buttons 29, 20 formed on the rear faceof the attaching plate I1, on the medial bowed region thereof, areunited with the rubber body I2 by necks of rubber extending through theapertures 2B, the top faces of buttons 29 being flush with the adjacentsurface of the end portions of the attaching plate. The buttons 28 and29 are bonded to the metal structures, the arrangement being such as toprovide a mechanical interlock of the rubber and metal that is strongenough to support the load to be carried by the support even if thereshould be a complete failure ofthe adhesion of the rubber tn the metal,such as sometimes occurs vdue to the extreme heat of the exhaust pipewhich may be conducted through the metal of the` support to the body ofrubber. As shown in Figure l, the central aperture y2II in thesupporting plate yII -may extend higher than the bottom margin of theattaching plate I1, in which case the contour of the lower face ofrubber body I9 will be coincident with the contour of the top of saidaperture. 'Ihe rubber of the body I9 is relatively soft and resilientsince the load to be supported is relatively light. Rubber compositionof about I! durometer hardness has been found very satisfactory for thepurpose.

The resilient support is designed to offer an increasing rate ofresistance to deformation of the rubber body I9 upon movement of thepipe Il downwardly with relation to the channel II, and to this end theupper margin of the supporting plate Il is formed with an integralflange Ila that extends obliquely over the rubber body Il, and the lowermargin of the bowed portion il of attaching plate l1 is formed with anintegral flange lla that extends obliquely beneath the rubber body I I,the said flanges Ila, 30a overlapping each other in a verticaldirection. The ar- `inwhich case the flange. Il a would come to restupon flange a and further drop of the pipe Il would be prevented.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention provides asafe, simple, and economical support for a hot exhaust pipe for motorvehicles, which support readily permits relative movement between thepipe and the frame of the vehicle in all directions.-

Modification may be resorted to without departing from 'the spirit ofthe invention or the scope thereof as denned in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: l. A resilient -support of the character describedcomprising a metal plate attachable to a supporting structure, a metalplate attachable to a supported structure, and a body of rubber betweensaid plates and bonded to each of-them, each of said plates beingintegrally formed with a flange that extends obliquely in the directionof the other plate and is obliquely disposed with relation to theadjacent face of the rubber body so as progressively to contact thelatter upon relative movement of the supporting and the supportedstructures in one direction.

2. A combination as defined in claim l in which one of the obliqueflanges is above the rubber body and the other is below the rubber body,said flanges overlapping each other in a vertical direction. a

3. A resilient support of the character described comprising a metalplate attachable to a supporting structure, a metal plate attachable toa supported structure, a body of rubber between said plates and bondedto each of them, and respective elements attached to said plates andextending toward the other plate on opposite*4

